CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, solutions are a valuable tool for many companies, including contact centers. In a nutshell, CRM is a system for managing a company’s interactions with its customers, utilizing technology to streamline processes such as sales, customer service and technical support. There are a variety of useful products on the market, including LCD monitors; desks and CRM solutions, so it can be helpful to know which aspects are especially useful for contact center CRM solutions.
With a wide range of functions included in the majority of CRM systems, it can be difficult for users to navigate. Multiple tabs, menus and dashboards lead to confusion due to a high level of complexity and, consequently, waste time trying to compete tasks. It can be helpful to purchase a CRM with a logical interface, making it easier for employees to use and adapt to the needs of each specific department.
Not only does the CRM need to be adaptable to each department, it should be able to be integrated with all of the back-office systems and other contact center software as well. Often times, integration comes as an option with a CRM purchase, but it can be at an additional charge or project deployment time. Before making the purchase, be sure that the solution you are purchasing has the capability to be integrated throughout your entire business.
A CRM solution is the central location for all of the customer data in your company, ultimately creating reports of this data for analytical use by the company. In some cases, the reports are standardized with the software while, other times, the software allows each individual company to create its own customized reports. This provides an opportunity to have an all-inclusive view of the company, instead of just a departmental one.
If a CRM solution provides the opportunity to create customized reports, then it probably possesses a fair amount of flexibility. Flexibility is a great attribute for a CRM system to have, so all of its functions, from the smallest to the largest, can be fit specifically to your company, increasing efficiency and usage.
By syncing the CRM software with the cloud, a company gains a variety of things. Cloud-based solutions allow organizations to pay for the number of users needed, rather than an often more expensive package deal. They can also receive automatic software updates, instead of paying additional costs or waiting until signing a new contract.
In the end, many companies are looking for control in their software programs, not just an automated system that is not tailored specifically to their business. The same goes for CRM. With such a wide variety of functions and tools available in CRM software programs, companies often waste money paying for features that they don’t actually use. As a company, having the ability to turn individual features on and off depending on the changing business environment ultimately provides the control that can increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Did you know, that regardless of the CRM you use, KOVA can integrate our solution to capture data like account number, call type, and ticket number as well as target certain areas of the call to not record for PCI compliance? Please contact us to find out more.
